Mineral sands and the community

Community benefits

Mineral sands projects can create economic and social opportunities. They can also deliver long term benefits for local people and businesses.

Projected benefits from northwest Victoria’s mineral sands projects (to 2050)

  • 7,000 jobs supported
  • $32.5 billion injected into the Victorian economy
  • Future proofing skilled employment opportunities

Opportunities for local businesses

Mineral sands projects need many different goods and services during construction, mining and rehabilitation. Local businesses may be able to provide:

  • transport and delivery services
  • earthmoving and civil construction
  • equipment hire
  • engineering, fabrication and mechanical work
  • geological, chemical and environmental testing
  • accommodation, catering, cleaning and security
  • professional services, such as accounting and training.

Skills, training and local careers

Mineral sands projects can create different types of local jobs. These may include:

  • plant operators, fitters, electricians and other trades
  • environmental scientists and field technicians
  • administration, logistics and procurement roles
  • health, safety and training specialists.

These roles can support apprenticeships, traineeships and upskilling. They can also help people build careers closer to home.

TAFEs, training organisations and universities can help prepare local people for these opportunities.

Long-term benefits

Some stages of mining can create skilled, long-term jobs. This includes processing, refining and manufacturing. These can build local specialist knowledge in areas such as:

  • mineral processing
  • materials handling
  • product manufacturing
  • engineering
  • specialist maintenance.

Jobs in land rehabilitation

Restoring land after mining is an important part of any project. It can also create local work, such as:

  • managing soil and earthworks
  • collecting native seeds
  • planting and caring for vegetation
  • monitoring and managing water
  • environmental assessment and reporting.

Rehabilitation work often needs strong knowledge of the local environment. This can create steady opportunities for regional businesses and workers.

Sharing benefits with communities

Mining operators pay royalties for the right to extract minerals. These payments go to the resource owner, such as the government or a landholder. Royalties help fund important services, such as health, education and infrastructure.

We are also developing a benefit‑sharing model. The aim is to help regional communities and Traditional Owners receive direct and lasting benefits from mineral sands projects.

Page last updated: 22 May 2026